couple vs couple of

Dominic, your instincts are correct. "A couple of X" is similar to "a pair of X." "A couple X" is just slurred.

A COUPLE X is everyday North-American English, but wouldn't generally be acceptable in a formal context. It's hardly used in Britain at all, although I've used it myself a couple times. ;)

Dave, don't try that at home! :-)
In Roger Waters' The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking we here him saying: "Hello...ya wanna cup coffee? [...] I'm sorry, would you like a cup of coffee?"
I think it's just a matter of how much one has got sleep the night before. Some people don't wanna speak too much so they use the of-free version of "couple of X."

Speed, I don't think this is entirely correct. The word can be used without the 'of' in a few situatoins.

How many did she have?
She had a couple.

Your example, Mike, does not deal with the same idea or structure at all. Speed is right.

Why is "couple of X" grammatically correct? What is the logic? And if "of" should be inserted after couple, then why not after "few or "several?" A few of things? A several of things? "A couple of things" sounds pretentious to me -- "of" is an extra word that has no use. I say drop it.

Use "couple of" if you assume couple to be a noun, such as pair: "a couple of apples" or "a pair of apples." Drop the "of" if you assume "couple" to be an adjective, such as few: "a couple apples" or "a few apples."

Taken from Mirriam Webster Dictionary:

The adjective use of a couple, without of, has been called nonstandard, but it is not. In both British and American English it is standard before a word (as more or less) indicating degree . Its use before an ordinary plural noun is an Americanism, common in speech and in writing that is not meant to be formal or elevated . It is most frequently used with periods of time and numbers .

I consider the Mirriam Webster Dictionary a source for USan English which is a type of patois - not authentic English.

For an excellent treatment of the subject see
http://www.quora.com/Which-usage-is-correct-a-couple-of-X-or-a-couple-X

What a lot of annoying prescriptivists here. Yuck. Anecdotal explanations of linguistics and language use lead only to perpetuation of outmoded and simply incorrect ways of perceiving and understanding how language works and develops (note that word, quite the opposite of "devolves").

@ElktoothChain - My idea of descriptivism is that you make your case and support it with examples, not simply insult people and talk down to them. And perhaps say something specifically relevant to the topic.

"A couple of x" is definitely correct; omitting "of" is just one more of countless examples of our "progressively" more illiterate society where what once would have been red lined in grade school is now sadly found in the NY Times, once our nation's leading newspaper, now it's leading laughingstock.

Think of all the apples in the world. You just want two apples. So you choose "a couple of" them. That's how I see it. Perhaps some people confuse "a couple apples" with "a few apples." Interesting how they do get "few" right: No one says, "a few of apples." Seems people should be able to keep the two separate without using up too much brain power.

It is all part of an evil American plot to eliminate prepositions.

:)

It just plain grates on my brain to hear or see "a couple ______". Come on. Using "of" is no formality -- it is just good basic sense.

"I went to the store and bought a couple apples."

Really? I know Gala apples, and Fuji apples . . . Never heard of Couple Apples -- and do you buy just one, I am unclear.

"I want to clear up a couple things."

Hm. I'm not your significant -- in fact, I hardly know you -- isn't it premature to start discussing "couple things"?

They also omit the word on in lots of situations.
"I went to the bank Wednesday..."
Or
"The incident happened last week Tuesday... " (pronounced "toozday" if course).
The only version I've ever heard in Britain would be along the lines of
"let's meet up Thursday" instead of "let's meet up on Thursday"

This discussion is irksome. First of all, why is it that we have become so apathetic to maintaining a standard? If we allow some things to slip by as "an evolving language," how do we decide which things to allow? This usage, "couple times," or "couple different," is a slippery little slope. I think allowing students, in particular, to use this...colloquialism/slang when writing formal papers is a massive mistake. Keeping it simple and devoid of existential discussion, it is a matter of simple mechanics. "Couple," according to Merriam Webster, is NOT an adjective, nor adverb nor a word of any other sort than this: it is a NOUN. Therefore, using it without "of," is, plainly, incorrect. For the sake of consistency, if you are a teacher, please do not let this "little thing" slip by. That is all.

As I have just come across this question in a proofreading context, I read the foregoing comments with interest. In British English, the adjectival use of "couple" is unheard of, so "a couple apples" is not just wrong but jarringly so. In US English, I have noticed that "couple" is sometimes a noun and sometimes an adjective. What I gather from these comments (and from other pages) is that the adjectival use of "couple" (as in "a couple apples") is widely use in spoken and colloquial written English in the USA, but the nominal use of "couple" (as in "a couple of apples") is acceptable everywhere and is required in formal writing in the USA.

I disagree with those commentators who see this as a decline in US English. There is nothing illogical in the adjectivalisation of "couple". It is a fate that has befallen other nouns of quantity such as "dozen" and "hundred" without adverse effect. For example, in Richardson's New English Dictionary (1827), we read that "a century is a hundred of years, of men, of anything", a usage that now sounds jarringly wrong. We are none the worse for having made an adjective of "hundred". Although "a couple apples" now sounds illiterate to British ears, I daresay we will grow to accept it too.

I have a visceral, loathing reaction to "couple" without "of". It evokes an almost physical illness in me. I beg of all English speaking humanity to please use the "of" and save my mortal soul.